The Day She Went To Him
by candidshot
Summary: 'However long it takes' is too inexact for Caroline, so she went to Klaus.


It was an orange evening. The sun was setting on the fallen leaves and the whole world was being highlighted in colours.

And there she was in the midst of it all.

Her hair, her eyes, her furrowed brows remained the loveliest colour of all.

Crunching through leaves on the sidewalk, Klaus walked up to her, a teeny weeny smile on his lips, delighted but trying not to get his hope up too much.

"What brings you here, Love?"

This very scene, he'd hoped that one day it would've come – the day when Caroline would come to him.

But that was at a time when the world was happy and he was on his way to becoming the man she wanted him to be – compassionate but strong, a man who could rule the world with fear but who was also capable of love.

But somehow, Caroline kept seeing him at his weakest moments - without family and going around the world being ruthless. She kept seeing him when he's sad and lonely.

Though, over the years, the more they came to know each other, Klaus no longer mind it so much – he wanted Caroline to know him inside out.

That's also why he loved this woman – the woman who wasn't afraid to love him even with his darkest self. And he loved her all the more when she never once asked him to suppress his nature – instead, she wished him to control it. "Think of it like responsible drinking", she'd once said.

Swinging her weight to one side of her body, she raised an eyebrow unshaken by Klaus's brooding. "Did I come at a bad time? I don't see your usual smug".

Klaus stopped in front of her… just a few steps away. "I thought you hated that face".

The smile had fallen from her lips, replaced by a twinkle in her eyes. Per usual, Klaus could tell she was up to her subtle mischief. "Come on now, Klaus - you and I both know that's not entirely true".

It was drizzling too. Soft feathered raindrops falling down that deepened the colour of the orange sky and there's this sweetness to the falling rain. A sweetness that was not so much like that of flowers being kissed and washed by chilly water drops, but more like crushed berries too ripe for anything else than smelling sweet.

"Really Caroline, what truly brings you here?"

Because, his heart was being awaken again. Feelings he'd placed dormant until he knew it was time had slowly started to recover life at the sight and divinity of Caroline – his utmost treasure of desire - and his heart may have suddenly stopped at hearing her say—

"I wanted to see you".

Again, Klaus's heart was in Caroline's hand.

His Caroline was flawless in his eyes. His Caroline was still the most perfect life form in all his thousand years. His heart was still weak against her - it frenzied in his chest and it thumped loudly in his ears. At times, she had him tongue-tied – and at other times, no matter how he fought to hold back, his tongue only wanted to recite verses of a love that can only be theirs – deep, inexplicable true but never easy.

"No. You're here to taunt me", he told her, watching her biting her lower lip, her head leaned to the side watching him watching her with something of a hidden smile back on her lips. "Caroline, I want you to love me or leave me".

Because his heart couldn't take it anymore – he had so much love and all he wanted to do was give some to her – to share it – to give – but he also wanted to get some of hers.

They came to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. The drizzle had eased and the late evening sun had mostly set - the last rays bouncing off Caroline's hair as if her head was the horizon. She's standing in front of him, her lips glossy and a pale pink.

"For a ruthless man such as yourself, you don't break the rules when it matters the most, do you?"

Klaus shuffled about on his feet, his temper slowly rising. "You're going to have to be a bit more specific, Love".

Without losing eye contact, Caroline shifted her weight to her other leg, her arms folded and she asked with a sort of bitterness in her voice. "Just how long do you think _however long it takes_ is? One year? Fifty years? Two hundred?"

Surprise was bright in the wideness of Klaus's eyes. "Caroline I-"

"Maybe for a gazillion year old vampire, you pass the time without minding it much but, before even I realised it, I found myself waiting – my heart behaving stupid and jumping at the glimpse of horses and paintings and that wine we shared and— I travel places alone and kept wondering if you'd been there and what you had done there and if you went alone or with someone else and had fun with them while slowly forgetting about m— And sometimes in silence, I kept hearing that stupid childish giggle you sometimes did. I go to galleries and museums and kept imagining your canny remarks and how you would have a whole mouthful of history lessons while bitching about and criticising sections of a display that doesn't hold up to your idea of art and talent and— "

"And?"

"And nothing".

"And you want me?" he asked. His eyes slowly getting calmer and warmer and she loved the dimples in his cheeks.

She flipped her hair, looking away. "Of course, I don't".

"Then you need me?"

"Stop being delirious".

"Then you love me?"

"I hate you so much right now".

Klaus smiles, enjoying the way she was contradicting herself. His heart beat was gentle and he's bubbling over with a familiar love. "Is that so?"

"Stop making such a big deal". She shrugged, still looking away. "I'm just checking in on you".

"Oh, so I'm supposed to think you suddenly care".

"Suddenly? Think whatever you want".

"Not suddenly?"

"Are you hoping for more?"

" _Always_ , sounds good".

She inhaled, slowly looking back his way. "Why do you love me so much?"

Klaus stepped forward and threw his arms round her waist and fondly whispered near her lips. "Because, you deserve it and…"

"And?" she asks, wrapping her hands around his neck, a smile on her lips.

"I knew you would love me too".

~ the day she went to him  
klaus x caroline


End file.
